MOSCOW (dpa-AFX) - Microsoft has claimed that its security wing has thwarted cyber-attacks against the US Senate and conservative think tanks by hackers linked to Russian military intelligence.
The American tech giant said the Russian group is linked to the hacking of Hillary Clinton's 2016 presidential election campaign, and had the potential to launch cyber attacks on candidates and other political groups ahead of the US mid-term elections in November.
'We're concerned that these and other attempts pose security threats to a broadening array of groups connected with both American political parties in the run-up to the 2018 elections,' Microsoft said in its blog.
Its Digital Crimes Unit (DCU) executed a court order disrupting and gaining control of six Internet domains created by a group known as Strontium, or Fancy Bear.
84 fake websites associated with this group were shut down in the last two years.
According to US special counsel Robert Mueller, Fancy Bear has connections to the Russian intelligence agency, the GRU.
Microsoft President Brad Smith said cyber strikes by foreign entities to disrupt elections and sow discord during the US general election in 2016, and during the French presidential election last May, are now taking place in a broadening way as Americans are preparing for the November midterm elections.
Attackers create websites and URLs that look like sites their targeted victims would expect to receive email from or visit.
Efforts were made to mimic the domains of the International Republican Institute (IRI), the Hudson Institute, and the U.S. Senate. Six senators, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney and Gen. H.R. McMaster are members of IRI's board.
Microsoft said it has notified the targeted organizations, and will continue to work closely with them on countering cybersecurity threats to their systems.
Smith announced that in order to prevent further attacks, Microsoft is expanding the Defending Democracy Program with a new initiative called Microsoft AccountGuard.
This initiative will provide free state-of-the-art cybersecurity protection to all candidates and campaign offices at the federal, state and local level, as well as think tanks and political organizations that are under attack. The technology is free of charge to candidates, campaigns and related political institutions using Microsoft's Office 365 online service.
Russia has denied Microsoft's allegations, and accused it of 'playing political games.'
Last month, a US Grand Jury had indicted 12 Russian intelligence officers for hacking the computer networks of the Democratic Party, and Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign.
Copyright RTT News/dpa-AFX